A Single Mom, A Baby, A Family, A Blessing
The young woman stood in the middle of their living room, looking at her baby and Zac and Missy Tuck and began to cry. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have my baby.”
The Tucks recently hosted a time to share with friends and families about Safe Families for Children. Through this program, they came alongside a single mom who turned herself into authorities and went to jail. During that time, the Tucks cared for her baby, who was just two months old when he came to them.
Though the mother and child were reunited on July 9, the Tucks will continue to walk with the mom and give her support as she begins making big changes in her life. Zac said that’s just what drew them to Safe Families.
“What really got me excited was continuing the relationship — discipleship,” said Zac. "We want to walk this out as much as possible.”
Missy said the moment of reunion, when she saw the baby’s face light up upon seeing his mother, made it all worth it. “I can’t imagine saying no and having missed that moment,” she said.
What is Safe Families?
Safe Families for Children-Virginia provides breathing room and support for parents in temporary crisis, giving them time to get back on their feet, while their children are cared for in a safe and loving environment.
Volunteers who host children and support parents are known as host families, and are recruited from a large network of faith communities. Parents in crisis, called the placing family, willingly place their children with a loving, and thoroughly screened volunteer host family for a short period of time. They can reunite with their children at any time.
Since 2002, Safe Families has placed more than 23,000 children in host family homes — like the Tucks — in the United States. On average, a child stays with a host family for less than 40 days. The Tucks hosted for 44 days before the mom was released from jail and reunited with her baby.
Parents are referred for a variety of reasons but mostly because of an unstable living environment or crisis. The majority of children are younger than 5 years of age, and 93% return to their parent or a relative who is in a better position to care for them.
The Tucks’ Experience
The Tucks applied to Safe Families and went through training and then got a call in May to serve as a host family.
Safe Families shared the story in their newsletter:
“Around 10 am a mother who had heard of Safe Families for Children, our wonderful ministry, made her way to our office in Wyndhurst. Her story was not unlike many we have heard before, and yet it was unique, heart-breaking, and tragic. This mother of a precious 2-month-old little boy had realized she could no longer continue down the same path and needed to find support, forgiveness, and restoration; however, it would not be easy and it would come at a cost…
As this woman had no one to turn to and no one to help, since the baby's father was already behind bars, she had heard of how loving, giving, and supportive the team of SFFC had been to so many others, that her heart soared with joy knowing her little boy would find love, protection, and provision…
Effective May 23, Missy and Zach took in little Isaiah to be a temporary addition to their loving family. As beautiful as this is, this is not where the story ends; quite the opposite.
When the day comes for this mother to be reunited with Isaiah as his protector and provider, she will not be doing it alone. The Tucks have committed to helping, supporting, and loving this mother as an extended member of their family. This is the goal for each and every hosting - that we love and embrace the full family into the Christian community.”